In many areas of the business world, companies dedicate resources to support and sell to large customers. Although interested in meeting the needs of small and medium-sized customers, these companies may decide that it is not cost-effective to dedicate the same or similar resources to support and sell to them.
If the numbers of products, services and customization options offered by a particular company are relatively small, it is sometimes sufficient for the company to provide prospective and returning customers with a searchable catalog of offerings or a similar, relatively straightforward tool. A human representative of the company may be made available if the customer needs some guidance and clarifications.
If a company has a vast portfolio of offerings, it may be a complex task to assess which of the offerings provides a solution to the needs of a customer.